The new strategic plan for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), finalized at this year’s Commodity Classic, focuses on sustainably feeding and fueling the world.
The four priorities set forth in the plan are increasing demand, strengthening customer and consumer trust, enhancing productivity and environmental sustainability, and striving for organizational excellence.
“Most corn farmers are well past the point of prices being below the cost of production, and prices have been there for some time now,” NCGA President Chip Bowling said this month to address the priorities. “Facing this dramatic income drop, farmers have begun tightening their belts. We are already seeing the ripple effects of this on rural communities. Implement dealers are selling less equipment. Manufacturers are scaling back production. Agribusinesses have laid off employees.”
The goal of the plan is to provide competitive market demand for 19 billion bushels of corn by 2025. NCGA plans to accomplish this goal by increasing ethanol demand, looking for new uses for corn and ethanol, increasing livestock exports and lobbying for legislation to improve transportation infrastructure in order to move their product easier.
“Our growers know what’s at stake,” Bowling said. “They’ve worked hard to bring in the three largest crops ever over the past three years, and now we have the opportunity to lead in building demand, enhancing trust, and improving sustainability.”
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